WHEELYBINS have been rejected by West Devon Borough Council.
The decision marks the end of an eight-month debate on the subject, culminating with a full meeting of the council in Okehampton.
Councillors have been split on the issue, so it was still uncertain which way the decision would go even after a six-and-a -half-hour meeting of the working group.
Chief executive David Incoll said councillors felt that the sloping topography of the area did not lend itself to wheelybins and they might cause more waste to be created.
'But we will go over to green boxes for recycling, instead of sacks,' he added. A decision on whether to include plastics among recyclables has been deferred, but glass probably would be included, he said.
Mark Hall, the council's head of commercial services, recommended it should stick to its present method of refuse collection, even though the wheelybin system might lead to more recycling.
He said there were 'too many unknowns' about wheelybins and people were generally happy with the existing system. 'More recycling is a good idea, but there are practical concerns, particularly what would happen to "side" waste, which the waste removal men would not take.'
The council was asked to choose between the status quo and a new system costing £250,000 to provide 21,141 homes with the smaller type of wheelybins (140-litre). These would be supplied free of charge.
The waste disposal men would collect only what was in those bins and thus restrict the amount of refuse collected and encourage recycling. This option would have entailed what Mr Hall called 'a robust enforcement policy'.
A disadvantage of wheelybins is that some householders could fill spare space in their bins with material such as garden waste which could be recycled, Mr Hall said in his summary to the council.
This could make it harder for the borough to increase its recycling proportion from 20.5 percent this year to 33 percent in 2003, which is expected to be the government target. The council would also have to hire three more staff to visit households and 'advise' on recycling.
The council chose to carry on with the weekly separation of recyclable items at the kerbside, as introduced in 1998.
Cllr Caroline Keane argued against halting the recycling of plastics, but Mr Hall said the industry was not yet geared up for it.
Recycling boxes are to be supplied — two for each household — in place of disposable sacks, because boxes are considered cheaper as well as more durable.
The council has awarded a seven-year multi-million pound contract from April 1 to Focsa, the Manchester-based company which has done street-cleaning for the council for the past eight years. Five companies submitted tenders for the job. The current operator is Biffa.